Now, though, as he tours the country in support of his first full-length solo album, "F.T.F.O.," 2 Dope has ditched ICP's trademark Faygo in favor for a more basic format that finds him taking the stage with a DJ and rocking crowds in cities that will include Hartford tonight at the
Webster Theater
.
While his ICP partner, Violent J, will fly out to visit for select tour dates, 2 Dope should have no trouble captivating crowds on his own. He plans to perform plenty of songs from his 17-track CD, which came out Feb. 21 on Psychopathic Records. He'll also perform songs from his mid-'90s solo EP, including the title track (which is too explicit to print), "Clown Luv" and "I'm Not Alone."
In a March 14 interview from his label's offices in Michigan, 2 Dope said he'll also perform his verses from a handful of ICP tracks - as well as past solo cuts like "Southwest Strangla," "Stomp" and "Get Off Me, Dog!"
"I'm planning on blowing the roof off all these (venues), man, straight up," 2 Dope said. "It's a little bit different. There's no hype man or nothin' - just me up there with a DJ, doing it old-school style. But it's gonna be electric, man. So don't be stepping in water, 'cause you're bound to be shocked."
Born
Joey Utsler
on Oct. 14, 1974, 2 Dope attended elementary school in Oak Park, Mich., though his family would move around the Detroit area. His father, who left the family when 2 Dope was 9, worked at an auto parts store. His mother managed a Taco Bell. In addition to an older brother, John, who was an early member of ICP, 2 Dope has a half brother and lots of step brothers.
His parents were "big-time hippies" who were into the drug culture and his mother played music by
Bob Seger
,
the Beatles
, Queen and Motown artists.
For 2 Dope, though, these artists had little influence. Instead, he started listening to
Run-D.M.C.
, Whodini and other old-school rappers. Inspired by jazz great
Herbie Hancock
's 1983 hit, "Rockit," he taught himself how to do DJ scratches while in fifth grade. Back then, he had a radio with a cassette deck and a record player on top; he used the balance as a fader.
After DJing at parties and bars, 2 Dope focused on writing rhymes when ICP formed in the early '90s. Still, he continued to contribute DJ scratches to ICP songs as the horrorcore group went from a local underground sensation to a platinum-selling phenomenon by 1997.
Following the release of their Six Joker's Cards - a series of often violent conceptual albums that spanned more than a decade - 2 Dope was ready to work on "F.T.F.O."
While his initial EP sparked rumors that ICP had broken up, there were no such misconceptions this time around, he said.
"With the Internet (now), there ain't no rumors that we split up - and even if there is, they can be squashed by pressing a button," 2 Dope added.
The new album's lead single, "Keep It Scrubbin," is an anthem for the average juggalo who doesn't fit in with the cool crowd. Even after achieving financial success, 2 Dope still considers himself a "scrub."
"I always have been," he said. "I've just got that scrub mentality still. That'll never die. So if you've got it, flaunt it. I'll make being a scrub cool. Kids want to be scrubs now. And that's awesome. You ain't gotta be a cool cat to be cool no more. I love the fact of that."
Just the same, 2 Dope, who produced his solo album with Violent J and
Mike E. Clark
, is proud that "F.T.F.O." is simply a feel-good record.
"Let me tell you something, man," he said. "There was no theme to this record whatsoever. It was just whatever ideas popped up, I ran with them. That was the beautiful thing I liked about this record - it was just balls-out free-balling. You get an idea and go, 'Let me make this track right quick.' I didn't have to follow no guidelines, nothing.
"It was there, boom, it hits you in the head, record that (stuff), you know?" he added. "I had a lot of tracks that I didn't put on there because not all ideas are winners. So in the end I had to whittle down some of it. But I'm happy with how it turned out big time, you know?"
One of 2 Dope's favorite tracks from "F.T.F.O." is the song "Ball Bounce," which pays homage to some of his old-school heroes with a modern twist. The song samples Ice-T's "Squeeze the Trigger,"
Rodney O
and
Joe Cooley
's "Cooley High" and
Afrika Bambaataa
's "Perfect Beat."
For ICP fans, the 2 Dope album and last fall's "Forgotten Freshness, Vol. 4" marked a welcome return to the classic sound that made the group's early material so special.
"You know what it is, I think, a lot of?" said 2 Dope, who has 9-year-old twin sons and a 3-year-old daughter and will celebrate his second wedding anniversary in May. "It's because we're old school. We ain't spring chickens on the block no more. We've been around for a minute. And I ain't saying we're this old school, but it's like when Reverend Run puts out a record - you can hear the old school in it too because he's an old school cat. A lot of artists that have been around for so long are able to do that just because they're seasoned vets like that."
2 Dope, who recently got XM Satellite Radio in his car, gave props to rappers Young Jeezy, The Game and
Busta Rhymes
. He's also a big fan of
Gwen Stefani
's song "Hollaback Girl."
As for his own album, he emphasized that there's no serious message behind it.
"I just want a (person) to listen to it, bob their head and be like, 'Hell, yeah. Check this record out, dog. This is some (good stuff) right here,'" he said. "I don't expect a (person) to learn anything from listening to my record at all. Learn how to bob your head harder. Learn how to jam that a little bit louder, a little bit harder. That's all I'm asking for. That's all I'm looking for."

The show begins at 7 p.m. The venue is at 31 Webster St. Tickets are $20. Call (800) 477-6849.